Therapeutic effects of moxibustion on delayed uterine involution in postpartum dairy cows

Moxibustion on 12 specific points (Keiketsu in Japanese) was applied for treatment of delayed uterine involution in 16 cows that were diagnosed on the basis of rectal palpation and vaginoscopic examination 21 to 35 days after parturition. The treatment was continued for three consecutive days. Other 32 cows with the delayed uterine involution were either injected intramuscularly with 25 mg PGF2 alpha (17 cows) or infused in utero with 500 mg ampicillin (15 cows). The uterine involution following the treatment was monitored by rectal palpation and vaginoscopic examination. Milk samples were collected three times weekly and used for milk progesterone assay to monitor the ovarian function. No significant difference was observed in the uterine involution among the groups treated with moxibustion, PGF2 alpha or ampicillin. Percentages of cows with abnormal cervical mucus and bacterial isolation from cervical swab decreased remarkably in all groups during 4 weeks after treatment. Forty-six percent of cows with delayed uterine involution was diagnosed as having inactive ovaries. Percentage of cows that responded with ovulation and corpus luteum formation after moxibustion was 67 percent, slightly higher than those in cows treated with PGF2 alpha or ampicillin. Reproductive performance after the moxibustion was well-comparable to those after PGF2 alpha or ampicillin treatment. Result indicates that the moxibustion could be used as the alternative to PGF2 alpha and antibiotics for treating delayed uterine involution in cows.